This activity for Diabetic Retinopathy education is provided by Med Learning Group.
This activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Copyright © 2019Med Learning Group. Built by Divigner. All Rights Reserved.
Introduction to PDR
The clinician portal provides a central location for eye care specialists to find information on proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), including pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.
Around 29% of American adults with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy (DR).1 This is a growing problem as the number of people living with diabetes has increased over time with only around 60% of them receiving the appropriate screening.1,2 This, combined with the lack of symptoms in the earlier stages, makes it unsurprising that DR is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults.1 According to a CDC study, around 15% of the over 4 million Americans with diabetic retinopathy had vision-threatening complications.2
Even with intervention, retinal damage arising from PDR may be irreversible and can be associated with permanent vision loss.3 Preventing progression of diabetic eye disease to vision-threatening forms of DR such as PDR and DME should be the primary goal in diabetic vision health.3 Working to improve DR awareness as well as access to essential screening and treatment may help to reduce the burden of diabetes-related vision loss.2
References
- Flaxel CJ, Adelman RA, Bailey ST, et al. Diabetic Retinopathy Preferred Practice Pattern®. Ophthalmology. 2020;127:P66-P145.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetic Retinopathy. https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/pdf/factsheet.pdf
- Brown DM, Wykoff CC, Boyer D, et al. Evaluation of intravitreal aflibercept for the treatment of severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy: Results from the PANORAMA randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2021;139:946-955.
